Morgan Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center
Leadership Circles
Want to start or grow a business? Join a Morgan Leadership Circle
Do you dream of starting your own business? Are you a current business owner, who wants to: grow your business…take it to the next level…stop working in the business and start working on the business?
Consider joining a Morgan Leadership Circle where you will meet regularly with like-minded people, discuss business challenges, learn from each other, learn from experts and mentors, and have a peer network that supports you and encourages accountability. Don’t go it alone, join now, join the Morgan Leadership Circle community.
How does it work? The purpose of a Morgan Leadership Circle is to help members achieve their business goals through peer-to-peer learning, peer-to-peer support, and peer-to-peer accountability. Members must be committed to each other’s and their own success and be willing to give and receive advice and ideas. Complete the brief form to share your interests, then you will be matched with peers with compatible interests (e.g., 6-8 people with similar goals are matched in a Circle, competitors will not be placed in the same Circle), finally you start meeting and working together to achieve your dreams.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Who can join a Morgan Leadership Circle?
A: Any Morgan State University student, employee, or alumni and any resident of Baltimore City or the Baltimore metropolitan area is eligible to apply. Applicants must commit to the goals of the Circle and to attendance at Circle meetings. Assignment to a Circle is dependent on availability of compatible matches (e.g., want to grow a business, meet in person, meet monthly; are not competitors) and capacity (e.g., adequate mentors and expert advisors are available).
Q: How do I join?
A: Complete this brief interest form: https://forms.gle/cqC75nF3beSoq3Kr5
Q: When does it start?
A: Applications for Leadership Circles are accepted on an ongoing basis. As applications come in new Leadership Circles are formed. You will be notified that your application has been received and you will typically receive an invitation to join a Leadership Circle within 30-45 days of receipt of your application.
Q: Will we meet in-person or via videoconferencing?
A: It depends upon the preferences of the members of the Circle. Initially, people with similar preferences will be matched. For example, if you prefer to meet in-person you will be matched with other people who prefer to meet in-person. However, a Circle may decide to use in-person meetings sometimes and video meetings sometimes; it will be the decision of the Circle members.
Q: If I join a Leadership Circle how long will it last?
A: We expect that some Leadership Circles may last for years, as long as the members continue to get benefits from their participation. Some Circles may adjust their membership annually to accommodate changing interests and life stages. Some Circles may end after 1 or 2 years by mutual consent after achieving their goals.
Q: What is the purpose of a Leadership Circle?
A: The purpose of a Morgan Leadership Circle is to help members achieve their business goals through peer-to peer learning, peer-to-peer support, and peer-to-peer accountability. First you define a goal or goals, then you design a plan to achieve those goals. You share your goal(s) and plans with the Circle. The Circle members help you with creative ideas and advice (based on their experience and expertise). As you implement your plan, you bring both success stories and problems to the Circle. Success stories are applauded and problems are solved through peer-to-peer problem-solving, support, and advice.
A Leadership Circle is not: a class, group coaching, group mentoring, or a networking group; it is a group of people committed to supporting each other and learning from each other as you pursue your business goals.
Members must be committed to each other’s and their own success and be willing to give and receive advice and ideas. Members must treat each other with respect, compassion, and integrity. The open and honest communications within the Leadership Circle are confidential.
Q: Why should I join a Morgan Leadership Circle?
A: If you want to start a business or if you currently own/operate a business you can benefit from having colleagues who share those interests. Peer-support, peer-to-peer learning, and peer-to-peer accountability can increase your odds of success by helping you leverage the expertise and experience of others. A Circle can also provide a sense of community and belonging in what can be a lonely endeavor (i.e., being an entrepreneur, a small-business owner, starting a venture).